New Vet, Dr. Casey, joins Wildlife Haven team!

Please welcome Dr. Casey Martinez, DMV, as our new veterinarian!

We're so excited to introduce the newest member of our team at Wildlife Haven.

Dr. Casey brings lots of passion for animal welfare and experience in animal care from all over North America. She has a strong interest in wildlife rehabilitation and has been fitting in very well with our team.

We asked Dr. Casey a few questions to help our community get to know her better:

Fun fact about you?

While working at a zoo after college, I lived in a barn with two cheetah cubs.

What inspired you to become a vet?

I didn’t actually plan on becoming a vet. I knew I wanted to work with animals, so I worked as an intern at wildlife rehab centres, a keeper at a zoo, and then as a vet assistant at humane societies and emergency/specialty centres. The more I worked with animals, the more I focused on welfare and the more I wanted to learn. 

It's a bit of an odd story, but I started thinking about welfare after seeing snails on a menu. I wondered what the welfare standards were like for farmed snails and fish. Most people overlook these animals as they're not very fuzzy or cute, so I wanted to be the person to care for them. That's how I got into fish and invertebrate medicine in particular.

Dr. Casey performs a house call to collect blood samples and skin scrape/gill clips for a koi during vet school in California, 2019.

Where did you complete your vet training?

I graduated in 2020 from the University of

 California, Davis, where I tracked Large Animal/Zoo and Exotic with an Aquatics emphasis.

Where have you worked before?

During vet school, I did externships (4–8 week rotations) at the New England Aquarium in Massachusetts, the National Marine Mammal Foundation/US Navy in California, and the Sao Paulo Aquarium in Brazil. After graduation, I spent time as an intern at the International Bird Rescue in California, a small animal veterinarian, and then as a veterinary fellow at the Alaska SeaLife Center. 

Dr. Casey holds a bearded dragon during a reptile anesthesia lab in Vet school in California, 2018.

What are some career highlights?

Some experiences that stuck with me: working with baby cuttlefish addressing unknown buoyancy issues, collecting jellyfish on a small boat in the Kenai Fjords, and very important vet prescribed cuddle time with a walrus calf. I also have my first paper in the process of publication!

Dr. Casey helps socialize a walrus calf in the wildlife rehabilitation department of Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska, 2024.

Why did you decide to come to Wildlife Haven?

My love for wildlife rehabilitation. I love the individual care provided to every animal, but I am most passionate about the bigger picture: the importance of wildlife rehab centres in monitoring wildlife populations and acting as sentinels of animal health at the human, animal, and environment interface. Most of my experience has been aquatic animals, and Wildlife Haven provides an opportunity to expand my knowledge to terrestrial species in a high volume setting.

Dr. Casey performs a routine exam for a harbour seal pup at Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska, 2022.

What’s been your favourite part of working at Wildlife Haven so far?

Honestly? The people. Everyone is passionate, knowledgeable, and friendly, and the team works so well together. I know I will learn a great deal from the people I work with every day, and I hope I can contribute to the medical care of all the animals in need. 

 What’s been your favourite case at Wildlife Haven so far?

The snapping turtles, hands down. We didn’t have any reptiles in Alaska, where I worked last, so it's incredible to learn about these semi-aquatic, prehistoric creatures. They come in with such catastrophic injuries, but with treatment and time, they are able to heal wounds other animals could not.

Dr. Casey with Snapping Turtle Patient 25-1036, who was hit by 3 cars in the Whiteshell on July 3rd, 2025 and is now in our care.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I love live music (any and all from folk to EDM and everything in between), rock climbing, camping with my partner, my dog, and two cats in a van we converted last year, trying local coffeehouses and breweries, and binging anime.

Dr. Casey with her partner, David, on their travels through North America, 2025.

How many pets do you have?

Currently I have one old dog (Cooper) and two rambunctious kittens (Inosuke and Zenitsu, yes, they're named after anime characters). 

Cooper the dog. Inosuke and Zenitsu the cats.

Favourite animal fun fact?

Baby cuttlefish start learning predator from prey while still in the egg by watching adult cuttlefish interactions.

If you could be any animal, what would you be?

My former boss said I would be an arctic fox. I'm quiet, observant, and elusive, mostly solitary or in small close groups, like cold over hot, and I will fully dive (pounce) into projects.

Dr. Casey's knowledge and dedication are an incredible addition to our team. We're so excited to see all the amazing work she'll do!